Vieques in the news!
These are some of the things that reporters have had to say
about Vieques, past and present, for the traveler.
Some are excerpts with links, because the papers want a fortune
for me to post the article for you to read!
Great Homes and Destinations
Prosperity After the Bombs Stopped
By BETHANY LYTTLE
Published: November 21, 2008
THE absence of traffic lights, duty-free malls and beach-row condominiums is a
source of pride on Vieques, a 21-mile-long island about 10 miles off the east
coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. It boasts more than 50 sparsely
populated white sand beaches, crystal-clear water, a bioluminescent bay and
hilly subtropical forest.
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Best for Quiet
When the U.S. Navy closed its base on Vieques, off the northeast
edge of Puerto Rico, the cognoscenti predicted that this tranquil getaway would
emerge as the next St. Bart’s. Significant upgrades are in the works: the Inn on
the Blue Horizon, once the only A-list accommodation, is expanding to include
villas and condos; the Martineau Bay Resort will reopen as a W Hotel in 2009.
But it’s still a rustic and relaxed destination with a tranquil fishing village
vibe and...
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Islands Magazine:
names Vieques one of the top 20 islands
in the World to live on. July-August 2007
[more]
Two Years From Today This Quiet Caribbean Island
Will Be Packed With Tourists
Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007
Vieques, Puerto Rico
For more than 60 years, the US Navy
used over two-thirds of the island of Vieques for military
exercises, including frequent sea-to-land bombing. In 2003
they pulled up anchor leaving the land to the US Fish and
Wildlife Service. It now stands as the largest and most
ecologically-diverse National Wildlife Refuge in the
Caribbean...<more>
Solitude and the Sea
By GREG BREINING
Published: April 20, 2007
THE turtle-grass flats of the Caribbean are a looking-glass
world, shimmering films of light and life that hide as much
as they reveal. Such a thin slick of fresh water in the
mountains might hold a nine-inch trout. But in saltwater,
shallow water can yield a bonefish...
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The Coast Is Clear
By MARK HEALY
Published: November 19, 2006
There is a newly paved road
winding through the central hills of Vieques that
deposits a southbound beach seeker on one of the
island's many secluded shores. The road is banked with
lush tropical growth and offers a few memorable views
along the way. And written on the pavement...
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Food & Wine
January 2004 -news¬es-
2004 Trend Report On Travel-
Vieques- The tranquil Puerto Rican island has its first
resort, Wyndham Martineau Bay--Excerpt
Time:
The Caribbean's Last Secret
June 23, 2003
By ERIC ROSTON/VIEQUES
A bombing range long kept visitors away and
has left Vieques uniquely unspoiled
Monday, Jun. 23, 2003
Part of the fun of vacationing on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques is to see
the looks you get from folks back home. Many Americans recall the long-running
controversy over U.S. Navy war games held on Vieques. They picture the place as
a bomb-scarred moonscape, its waters poisoned with depleted-uranium shells. And
that's exactly the image that some visitors would like to perpetuate...
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Hartford Courant:
New Kind Of Boom Has Hit
Vieques
By IVAN ROMAN
June 10, 2003
VIEQUES, Puerto Rico -- Michele Bullard listened to the gentle splash of waves
rolling onto sand as she sunbathed on Navio Beach on a recent visit to this
island.
The rhythm of the sea no longer had to compete with the distant rumble of
military bombing.
This newfound tranquility on her tropical getaway, where the U.S. Navy operated
a bombing range for six decades, clinched Bullard's decision to buy property
here.
On May 2 - a day after the Navy formally shipped out - Bullard and two of her
friends pounced on the Caribbean's newest real estate hot spot...<more>
Miami Herald:
Vieques on its own
BY JANE WOOLDRIDGE
Jun. 22, 2003
An homage to the best of the Caribbean's past, the home of
the newly-extinct bombing range is a safe, welcoming, pretty place
VIEQUES, Puerto Rico - It's close, it's gorgeous, and there's hardly
anybody here.
This is the Caribbean of days long gone: Fishing boats bobbing in the sweet
curve of a bay. Breezy bars where shoes are optional and a 10-spot will buy a
beer and a fish sandwich. A sandy drive leading to a beach without another soul
on it.
This is Vieques, as it was and is and will be -- at least for the next few
years...
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FRUGAL TRAVELER; A Quiet Isle With Occasional
Rumblings
March 9, 2003
By DAISANN McLANE
FRUGAL traveling doesn't get much better than this: a deserted
Caribbean beach, and back roads that wind through forests where wild
horses run free and egrets glide above the mangroves edging the
water... I'd planned to stay six nights; that stretched into
10. How did I manage to find such a sweet deal...
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WOW NEWS
People Enjoy New Beaches Of Vieques
By Proviana Colon Diaz of WOW News
May 4, 2003
VIEQUES — It has been four years since the last time Jorge
Gonzalez was able to bathe in the crystal clear waters of Caracas beach, also
known as Red beach. Since May 1, however, he has been able to enjoy it...
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Forbes
Damn the Torpedoes!
Leigh Gallagher
03/04/02
Forget the bombing. Vieques is one of the Caribbean's best-kept
vacation secrets. For now.
Vieques (pronounced "vee-AY-kes") has some of the most beautiful beaches in the
Caribbean.
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CURVE Magazine:
The Spirit of an Island: Vieques
Written by: Liz Winston
1999
The world watches as the locals in Vieques struggle to survive a
standoff with the United States Navy.
...Located just a short ferry ride from the main island of Puerto Rico and also
accessible by plane, Vieques is a small island in the Caribbean... Like any
relatively undeveloped tourist island, Vieques’ charm lies in its beautiful
beaches, great snorkeling, and quiet spots — and not in its wild nightlife...
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The Ottawa Citizen
Vieques, The Next Big Thing In The Caribbean
Caribbean Bound: The Hot 5 Destinations
November 2, 2003
The November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler says
these are the Top 5 Caribbean destinations with buzz:
1. Cuba: "The appeal stems from the country's odd mix of exquisite colonial
architecture and faded Commie icons."
2. Vieques: "After 62 years of using much of the island
for bombing exercises, the U.S. navy moved out last spring, leaving tiny
Vieques, 11 kilometres off the coast of Puerto Rico, on the verge of becoming
the next big thing in the Caribbean."
3. Belize: A new crop of properties (is) luring tourists to the former British
colony in record numbers."
4. Grand Bahama: With new luxury resorts "the action is shifting back to the big
Bahama. And a new high-speed ferry will whisk passengers from Fort Lauderdale in
two hours."
5. Panama: The place is getting ready to explode."
Dallas Morning
News
With military
gone, PR isle opens for vacation
By JANE WOOLDRIDGE / Knight Ridder Tribune
08/03/2003
A sandy drive
leading to a beach without another soul on it.
This is Vieques, as it was and is and will be – at least for the next few years.
Days go like this: "You get up in the morning, get in your Jeep and take off
down one of the roads to a beach that has absolutely no one on it"...
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A Golden Opportunity for Vieques to Be Green
By JOHN TODD
July 26, 2003
BURLINGTON, Vt.
When the United States Navy officially stopped its bombing exercises on the
Puerto Rican island of Vieques in May, the 9,000 islanders were overjoyed. After
for more than 60 years of using Vieques for target practice and occupying
two-thirds of the island, the Navy was going, leaving behind a priceless gift:
16,000 acres of untouched land that could make Vieques an unparalleled site for
Caribbean eco-tourism. If development isn't handled wisely, however...
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DESTINATIONS: Puerto Rico
Vieques: The Boom Is Over
By Kevin Moeller
December 2003
I'M ABOUT 20 MILES off of Puerto Rico's east coast, lying on an unnamed and
empty beach on the eastern end of the island of Vieques. After kayaking 45
minutes to get here, I decided to spend some quality time with my towel...
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